Collection of Stories
by Aarg
Summary: Series of oneshots. Lily and James get to work together as the new Hogwarts heads. Sirius's prank involving Snape and a werewolf with bad results. Peter contemplates how things might have been had he remained loyal. R&R please.
1. For Lily

He had Lily's eyes. That same emerald green, that same almond shape. Every time he looked into them, Severus Snape felt as though he were drowning. He could almost imagine her sitting beside him in the sunlit park, asking to hear more about Hogwarts and the magical world. And he would tell her and stare wistfully, wondering if she might ever grow to love him back.

But he had Potter's face. That same arrogant expression, the same conceited smirk – the same person who stole Lily away.

No matter how many times he caught the boy's eye, the first response was always a glimmer of hope that Lily had come back. And then he would recollect himself, hopes dashed once more. Perhaps that had been part of why he'd been so cruel to Harry. Every time he looked his way, fragile hopes would be smothered, leaving behind a man even more bitter than before.

But how was one supposed to act towards a boy who simultaneously had the features of an enemy and the eyes of a best friend, an only friend, and a girl he'd loved? It'd been years and years since he'd last seen her face, and even longer since they'd spoken, but he could still remember every last memory of his time with her. After all these years, nothing had subsided, no barriers erected for protection, however much he sometimes wished it. But he was afraid to forget, even if it were possible, for nothing would fade from his ever-acute memory. Her favorite color was purple, her favorite flower honeysuckle, and her favorite class potions. She had a large mass of dark red hair that bounced merrily when she walked. She had pale-ish skin, her height was 5'6 1/2" and she had called him Sev. Her laugh was rich and warm and infectious; she was the only one who could ever make him really smile.

He wished more than anything to go back to that fateful day, not to utter that unforgivable word when she'd only been trying to help, but it was too late. It had just slipped out, he was embarrassed, and didn't want his fellow Slytherins to think he needed help from a muggle-born! He'd tried to apologize that night, but she would not forgive him. That one word had pushed her away forever, no, not just that one word, for she had been tipping more and more precariously over the years. And with each coming term, he'd gotten steadily darker, closer to the Dark Lord, while Lily stepped farther and farther away. If he could relive those years, he most certainly would have changed.

How could he have been so stupid? What did he think the Dark Lord had that Lily Evans did not? But it was too late, and all he could possibly do was to protect her only son with her same green, almond shaped eyes.

Once again, Severus Snape recalled the day he lost Lily Evans. He'd waited outside their common room for hours, and would have waited all night to see her. She had come out in her nightdress, her arms folded, her eyes cold as he'd tried to explain to his less than sympathetic listener. He'd prepared, and reran every part of his speech to her during his long wait outside, arranged her replies with ready answers, until she'd fall gratefully into his arms, granting him full clemency while accepting his choice to follow the Dark Lord, all the while proclaiming her undying love and devotion. Who'd he been kidding? It hadn't gone as planned at all; he had no answers to her hard put questions. All those preparations had fallen to pieces, he didn't say anything he was supposed to have said, nor did she ask what she should have asked, what he'd wanted her to ask.

Why should she be different than any other of those mudbloods at Hogwarts? Because he loved her so she must be an exception. Yes, he would join the Dark Lord as soon as he left school, he couldn't deny it. Yes, he was against everyone of her birth, but she was different. He loved her, it was that simple. No, it wasn't simple at all. He couldn't tell her that, and even if he had, Snape doubted even now that it would have changed anything at all. "You've chosen your path, I've chosen mine." Those words echoed once more in his mind as he saw a dark figure walk away. He should have known. Conversations never go as you plan them to. Nothing ever happened as Severus Snape wanted them to.

And James Potter stole her away. Potter was everything Snape was not. Everything flowed like honey for him. He was popular, good at quiddich, had a model family who gave him his every last desire, good at spells without even opening a book, he was a ringleader of their little gang of Marauders that every student wished to be. And then he had Lily. Potter and his friends had bullied him from the moment he'd stepped on the train. He was arrogant, and self absorbed. What made everything a million times worse was that Potter had saved his life.

He couldn't blame Lily for choosing Potter over himself. He was superior, in everything. Somehow, Potter'd changed for the better while he'd changed for the worse. But he would never forget how Potter had treated him, humiliated him in front of his peers. And it was his fault for ruining his friendship with Lily.

Harry was just like him. Just as arrogant, strutting around the castle like he owned the place. A small amount of talent on the quiddich field made him think he was a cut above the rest of the Hogwarts population. He thought himself a celebrity just because he was "the boy who lived." He wouldn't have lived if it weren't for Snape's help. Voldemort would never have hesitated to kill Lily if his loyal servant had not pleaded for it. But he would never tell Hary that. But he would continue to help him, keep him alive. For Lily's sake.


	2. Slytherin

In a way, this is 2 stories about Slytherin. The first is a brief about famous people who went there. The second is how people who wished to be in Slytherin got there, or didn't get there. You might recognize 2 from the latter from my other stories. Enjoy!

* * *

**Notable Slytherin Alumni of the 20th Century:**

**Lord Voldemort**: Also known as You-Know-Who, Tom Riddle, and The Dark Lord.

The most famous Slytherin since Salaazar himself, Lord Voldemort, or You-Know-Who as he prefers to be called, is best known for his crusade to cleanse the wizarding world of those whose blood is anything less than pure. He is responsible for the opening the Chamber of Secrets and setting the dreaded basilisk upon the Hogwarts population, murdering countless muggles, muggleborns, and purebloods who had anything to do with muggles (aka blood traitors), employing Death Eaters on his campaign for pureblood supremacy, and his near achievement of immortality through the use of Horcruxes. Sadly, Lord Voldemort died before his time at the hands of Harry Potter, the Dark Lord's one and only real foe. Blood Status: Half-blood

**Dolores Umbridge:** Possibly the best example of a Slytherin alumni, Dolores Umbridge believes in standing with the highest bidder. She became Minister Fudge's most valued employee in 1977, some sort of high secretary position with a long name in the Ministry of Magic. For a short while (meaning less than 3 months), she was appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts. However, after failing miserably, the new minister downgraded her status, where she then kept a less public profile. Then, around the early 1990s, she changed courses to help Lord Voldemort's new government within the Ministry. She is currently alive, though not very popular among the wizarding world. Blood Status: Pureblood

**Bellatrix Black**: Best known for being the Dark Lord's finest lieutenant, Bellatrix Black prefers to torture before handing a not-so-clean death to her many victims. She was an incredibly skilled witch, but fell tragically in love with the Dark Lord, though she married another pureblood for the sake of her status. Also died before her time, at the hands of Molly Weasley, who won through mere luck. Blood Status: Pureblood

**Severus Snape**: Also answers to Half-blood Prince, Snivellus, and Sev.

Skilled at Legilimency, and spying, Severus Snape was rather an average Death Eater before the demise of his one and only love, Lily Evans, brought a sudden change of heart. He had invented numerous spells throughout his unpromising career, such as Levicorpus and Muffliato. In 1982, he joined the Order of the Phoenix, and became one of Dumbldore's most trusted advisors after shifting loyalties from the Dark Lord. However, 2 years before the Dark Lord's defeat, Snape was forced to kill Dumbledore and secretly pass on information to a not very helpful nor very bright Harry Potter. Also a Potions teacher at Hogwarts, and later appointed headmaster Severus Snape was never very popular. He is recognizable through the greasy black hair, unwashed pants, and long hooked nose. Throughout his life, he has hated James Potter with passion, and then shifted the hatred towards his son, Harry Potter. Although murdered in vain by Lord Voldemort for the Elder Wand only hours before his defeat, the Dark Lord never learned of Snape's shift in alliance until informed by Harry Potter himself as they prepared their last duel. Blood Status: Half Blood

**Regulus Black:** Joined the Death Eaters at age 16. Gifted with ability to notice details most people miss. Was always in big brother Sirius's shadow at Hogwarts, albeit one of best students in his year. Best friend was Kreacher, family house elf. Made sudden volte-face at 17 when his master, the Dark Lord, almost poisoned said house elf. Discovered the Horcrux Lord Voldemort attempted to hide in cavern and died trying to destroy it a few months later. Key word-_tried. _Blood Status: Pureblood.

* * *

Lily Evans 

Lily walked up to the sorting hat with both hesitation and eagerness, if that was even possible. She was finally at Hogwarts and now, she would be sorted. As she placed the hat on her head, her thoughts were focused on one house.

Slytherin. Sev says it's the best and that he'll be in there too! Say Slytherin, Lily thought eagerly.

To her surprise, the hat spoke back.

_Slytherin? I'm sorry but Slytherins don't accept muggleborns in their house. Besides, I hardly think you have the qualities for that house. Or at least, they aren't predominant because you do have ambition and such. No, you'd be best off in…_

The hat debated for a few seconds. _Gryfindor!_

Slowly and disappointedly, Lily got up and gave her friend a sad smile as she walked up to her new applauding house. They were supposed to be in Slytherin together, it had all been planned out! Still, maybe Sev would end up in Gryffindor too, Lily thought hopefully.

As she approached an empty spot, she noticed the boy from the train who'd been making fun of Severus and herself. She eyed him distastefully before turning around and folding her arms as she awaited her friend's turn to be sorted.

Severus Snape

Severus Snape heard his name called and walked slowly towards the hat. He glanced around once at Lily, who was mouthing Gryffindor encouragingly. Severus was unsure. He wanted to be with Lily, but he also wanted to be in Slytherin. Everyone great came from there, and that house had always been his dream. But Lily too, was his dream.

As he put the hat on his head, he made a split-second decision. He'd ask for Slytherin. Sure the two houses were enemies but it would somehow work out. If it didn't, well…

Slytherin, Severus told the tattered hat.

The hat hesitated before answering. _Slytherins usually have to be pureblood, though very rarely, I might make exceptions. I told your friend this as well, and I put her in Gryffindor. It'll all depend on your choices. You're hard to sort._

Two ideas battled in Severus's mind. The first was the word exception- his mother's humiliating marriage to a muggle might not affect his outcome. The second was Gryffindor, with Lily.

Slytherin, _please_. Severus decided at last. My mother's family is one of the purest in the wizarding world. Just because she married a muggle doesn't mean anything. I hate muggles!

_Well, _the hat replied slowly. _Your sense of ambition, you cunning, and deception are sharp. I suppose I _could _put you in Slytherin. Are you sure though? You might even go to Gryffindor with your friend if you'd like. _

But Severus was sure. Slytherin, he thought once more, before hearing the far table clad in green and silver begin to applaud.

Sirius Black

"_Ahh! Another Black I see. How wonderful! But you seem a little more complex than your predecessors"_ The Sorting Hat said upon Sirius's swaggering arrival.

"Look, could you make this quick because I had a bet with Bella and I said I'd be sorted into Slytherin quicker than her. So it'd really help if you'd hurry. Do you mind?" Sirius asked rather rudely.

"Well, lets see… You have plenty of loyalty." Sirius gasped. No, the hat could _not_ be thinking of Hufflepuff.

"_But diligence you seem to lack._" Sirius allowed himself to breathe again.

"_You're talented, very intelligent in fact." _The hat sounded impressed as it considered some more.

But those last words scared Sirius almost as much as Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw was out of the question. He _refused_ to spend the next 7 years with people who _read _and _study_ all day long. That would be absolute torture – that just _couldn't _happen.

Fortunately, the hat brought a sense of relief with its next words._ "But you really need a little more sense to be in Ravenclaw. Perhaps it's just youth but I have a feeling that it won't change. You're much too reckless –you need to work on that by the way._"

"Look, we both know I'm going to end up in Slytherin like all the rest of the Blacks, as my parents have so rarely told me. So could you hurry up a little? Bet going on, remember?"

"_Don't worry about it, you've already lost, I can assure you of that. Bellatrix Black managed to get sorted before I even touched her head. I am simply trying to fit you in the right house." _The hat said quite patiently

"_And I don't think Slytherin would be right for you. You are resourceful and all but you lack subtlety and patience. Too impulsive, you know? There're situations in life where you have to bide your time and wait but you just haven't got that skill down. And quite honestly, I don't think you ever will. Oh, your mother says the same thing? Well she's quite right. I think I know just the house for you. How about, GRYFFINDOR!" _

And these last words were said without any warning as Sirius sat on the stool, aghast, all or his arrogance completely lost.

Regulus Black

Regulus had walked nervously up towards the tattered hat. He was terrified of disappointing Mother and Father and all the rest of his relatives. Of being condemned to a lesser house full of mudbloods and blood traitors, no matter what Sirius had said. Slytherin was the one and only path.

Regulus held his breath as he gently placed the Sorting Hat on his head, fingers trembling violently as he did so.

"Please put me in Slytherin." He thought over and over in his head. To his surprise, the hat spoke back. Regulus started at the voice.

"_Slytherin? Ahh, you're another Black I see. But are you sure about that? Your brother's in Gryffindor. He asked the same thing at his sorting, but then again, he didn't say 'please' as you did. Still, from what I gather stuck in the headmaster's office, he's doing well enough in Gryffindor. A little too well, rather."_

"NO. I don't want to be like him! I want Slytherin!" Regulus was scared now, very scared.

_"Hmm, interesting, you have such a variety of traits, from clever, to cunning, to ambitious. Ahh, but you're loyal, and so very brave too. From what I can see, it'll all depend on your choices."_

"Slytherin, please Slytherin." Regulus pleaded silently to the hat.

"_Why ever is that house so popular these days? But perhaps it is just a phase. Even a muggle-born asked me to put her in that house 2 years back. And that same year, after arguing for ages, I finally let a half-blood slip through. It's only the second time I've ever done that in all Hogwart's history, you know?"_ The hat asked conversationally. Perhaps it was frightened by the prospect of another year with no one to talk to.

"Our bloodline's been pure for centuries. Please put me there." Regulus thought desperately.

"_Oh, very well then, if you're sure."_ The hat seemed to give a little sigh. _" SLYTHERIN."_ The hat shouted, and the students in his new house began to applaud loudly. His cousin Narcissa was beaming with pride, a change from her usually cool demeanor.

Regulus thought his legs had turned to jello with relief. But there was a slight unease in his mind as he snuck a glance towards his older brother. Sirius seemed to be concentrating a little too intently on the next student being sorted, his face rigid and inscrutable. But as Regulus turned away, he could have sworn his brother glanced back. Quickly, Regulus pushed any unwanted thoughts away before proudly joining his new cheering table.

* * *

Leave me a review please! Tell me what you liked and hated. Thank you so much! 


	3. Aftermath

Ok. So I decided to expand this to a whole series of oneshots. Once again, I just thought this might be fun. I did this really quickly so it's probably not that great.

* * *

The Battle of Hogwarts and Lord Voldemort's defeat was two months passed and everything was gradually returning to normal. Families were slowly burying their grief over lost loved ones and moving on to live in the present. Though none would ever be the same again, witches and wizards all over the country were now starting to realize that, as in all wars, life goes on. 

Except now, life was even better. You-Know-Who was gone for good, most of his Death Eaters were jailed, and children could once again be safely let out of doors. As with the case following the First War 17 years ago, hordes of celebrations took place and it was a wonder that muggles still didn't discover there was such a thing as magic.

But Harry Potter's life stayed the same. His name and face was still continually printed on every newspaper in Britain. Though he was no longer Undesirable #1, he still had to move about under his Invisibility Cloak for fear that devoted fan clubs would mob him once spotted. His current situation was a slight improvement to being sought out by Death Eaters (fan clubs and reporters now), though how much of one was yet to be determined. If his life had been in the spotlight before, it was nothing compared to the current state. And Harry was not enjoying one bit of it.

Still, now that Voldemort was gone, his main task was crossed off his list and could stay idle for as long as he wanted. Not that he had too much of a choice. It's not like he could go out in public with adulating mobs begging his autograph or even just to look at the Chosen One. Therefore, McGonagall's appearance at #12 Grimmauld Place was a pleasant surprise.

"Hello Professor. What are you doing here?" Harry asked with a smile. The two went through all the proper greetings and compliments before McGonagall got down to the point.

"As you know, You-Know-Who's reign last year prevented many students, yourself included, from attending Hogwarts. We teachers have been consulting and we've decided to allow anyone who feels their education has been incomplete to make up the year. So, I'm here to ask if you'd like to come back to finish your 7th year. I understand if you don't want to, after all, you have just defeated the darkest wizard of our time, but I did want to make the offer."

"Oh." Harry replied, surprised. "Well what about Neville and the ones who stayed at school? Are they repeating the whole year?"

"If they feel like they're ready, they can take the NEWTs in August. We're having some extra sessions over the summer for them if they feel the need. But you were gone the whole year, so you have the option of returning." Professor McGonagall really did want him back. She was very proud to have Harry in her house.

"Have you asked Ron yet? Is he going? Hermione's still vacationing with her parents in Australia." It wasn't that Harry didn't want to finish school. Quite the opposite, it had been the first place where he was actually happy. But he was a bit apprehensive with people mobbing him everywhere he went.

"No, but I've spoken to Dean Thomas and he's planning to complete his schooling. So what about you?"

Harry hesitated. "It's not that I don't want to. It's, erm-" He glanced down at the day's headline of the Prophet. ("CHOSEN ONE SPOTTED NEAR BRISTOL") "That."

McGonagall's eyebrows contracted as she saw the paper. "Ahh. I see. They're still following you after all these weeks. Visiting Ron, I presume?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah. I tried apparating to the Burrow yesterday and my Cloak accidentally slipped. Some old lady spotted me walking towards the house and she ended up blowing a hole in the wall." He shrugged. "Least we fixed it. You know, Kingsley's joked that he could lend me some of his top Aurors. Quite frankly, I think I might take him up on the offer. We have to put a Fidelius Charm on _this _house in addition to all the spells Sirius's father put on it. Don't know what I'll do at Hogwarts."

"Attention not really your thing?" She smiled wryly. "Don't worry. Albus told me once it was the same for him following the defeat of Grindelwald."

"Really? So what'd he do?" Harry asked eagerly. He was in depserate need for advice.

"He escaped to England for the time but eventually faded from the limelight. It's only a matter of time you know before they're caught by something else. I remember when you were a baby, some people actually tried to kidnap you from your aunt's house but Lily's protection kept you safe."

Harry snorted. "Pity. Aunt Petunia would have welcomed it. Still, seeing myself on a Chocolate Frog card was pretty amazing."

"Yes, I suppose it was. Anyway, if you come back to Hogwarts, we can prevent unwanted mobs from entering. Also, the students, will, over time get used to you I'm sure. Professor Slughorn however, may be a problem. He's been dying to let one of his former students give you an interview. By the way, a piece of news I heard on my way here might spark your interest. Rita Skeeter, who I'm sure you remember, tried to sketch a less than agreeable version of your character. I'm afraid this time, she misjudged what the public wanted to hear. She is currently lying in a St. Mungo's ward. Nothing serious, but should keep her from writing any more bad things about you for a while."

"Oh no." Harry said in a strained kind of voice. In truth, he was using every bit of restraint he had not to jump for joy. He _really_ hated that woman, especially after Dumbledore.

"Now, Potter. You're not really disappointed are you?" She smiled again, and it was rather bizarre to see her mouth curved up that way. Almost like seeing a shark declare itself a vegetarian or a Dudley apologizing to Harry.

Harry grinned back. "You're right. I'm not. I'd like to see the paper some time though. I think you're right. I'll go back to Hogwarts. I'm sure everything'll blow over soon enough."

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So, what do you think about it? Please review. 


	4. Head Boy and Girl

Here's just a little oneshot on how James and Lily worked as Head Boy and Girl. I thought it would be fun.

* * *

James Potter walked into the heads compartment in a state of despondency. Slowly and dejectedly, he pulled out his Head Boy badge and pinned it onto his robes with a resigned look on his face. It was so unfair! Why should _he_ have to Head Boy? Hadn't he proved again and again that he was the best troublemaker Hogwarts had ever seen? Well, Sirius Black, his best friend may argue with that, but it should have been crystal clear to anyone he was _not_ Head material. Why couldn't they give it to someone who wanted it? Then again, he didn't think any sane person _would_ want it. 

That precise moment, Lily Evans, Hogwart's Head Girl stepped into the compartment, drinking a bottle of water. Her emerald green eyes landed on James Potter, then shifted to the badge on his robes, and back to his face. She choked, her face turning a shade of blue eerily reminiscent of the summer sky. Her fellow Head, sensing the urgency of the situation, pulled out his wand, and muttered, "Evanesco."

Then, James sat down, as though unaware or indifferent to the fact that he had just saved the life of the girl he had been chasing for the past 2 years. James wasn't sure if his feeling for her were entirely subsided, despite what he'd told his friends at the end of the last school year. He'd started dating some other girls by then but often found himself unconsciously comparing each of the them to Lily. Nonetheless, not even she could rouse his spirits at the moment.

"Thanks." She croaked. Then reality seemed to dawn and she blinked. "Wait a minute. I must be dreaming. _You're_ Head Boy?" Her voice rose up.

James quickly sprang up and clapped a hand over her mouth, looking worriedly at the students wandering in around them. "Shh. Not so loud! I wish as much as you do that this was some nightmare and all I have to do is wake up and I'm still waiting for that to happen."

"Get your hand off me!" Lily roughly pushed her fellow head away.

James let go, assured that she would no longer advertise this lasting shame to the rest of the world.

"Dumbledore chose _you_?" Lily replied, incredulous.

James Potter and his posse had indisputably been Hogwart's #1 troublemakers for the past 6 years, probably in all its history, and possibly in all the generations to come. He was detention almost every other day for some petty misdeed, and in her opinion, "an arrogant, self-centered, bullying toerag." The only quality in his favor was that he didn't use dark magic. Lily's reflection on his personality, if a little on the harsh side, was for the most part pretty accurate. James's falling in love and his propensity for asking her out that began during the latter part of her 5th year did little to raise him in her esteem.

Still, even _she_ had to acknowledge that he was improving. James and the rest of the Marauders had gradually slowed down with the hexing people in corridors simply for fun thing. And as an extra improvement, he'd even stopped asking her out and had started dating other people. Even his love of ruffling his hair had stopped annoying Lily so much. Not that this change was overnight. It was very gradual, almost as if he and Sirius were growing up. Just not enough for him to become Head Boy, forcing her to work with an immature prat for the rest of the year.

"Don't _you_ rub it in!" James moaned as he grabbed his hair in his hands. "Sirius hasn't stopped taking the mickey out of me ever since I told him about it. Moony and Wormtail are disappointed too, I can just tell. As if my summer weren't bad enough. But nooo, Dumbledore just has to top it and make me Head Boy. Always knew he was off his rocker." He looked down at his badge to give it a look of loathing. "Sirius and me have broken almost every rule that's ever been made here. Half the rules were _made_ because of us! How could he do this to me? Has he any idea how humiliating this is?"

Moony was Remus's nickname and Wormtail was Peter's. Lily wasn't used to seeing James so miserable. And over something so unreasonable too. He was usually without a care in the world, unless you count jinxing as many students as possible.

"Well why don't you resign? Tell Dumbledore, I'm sure he'll understand." Lily said, a crease on her forehead. "Come on. We'd better patrol."

Slowly, the 2 got up to patrol the train and platform to make sure everything was running smoothly. James put his hand over his badge to cover it from view. Fortunately, no one was suspicious. However, he did look incredibly awkward.

"I would, but the only reason I accepted this was because mum was so – proud when she saw it. And with my dad sick with dragonpox, he'd kinda old you know, she's been really worried lately. And what was I suppose to say? That I was going to destroy one of her few happy moments by telling her that I wasn't going to accept my badge?" James sighed, his eyes worried.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Lily replied quietly.

"It's all right. Dad's safe enough for now but the healers say that dragonpox isn't at all rare for someone his age. It won't really affect anyone for a few years but there's no cure for it." James said, his eyes betraying all his anxieties. "I'm sorry. Why am I telling you this?"

Lily shrugged. "Well, people say I'm a good listener. Whether that's true or not, you be the judge. So, this has been bothering you all summer?"

James sighed. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind so much if Sirius was still living with us but he moved out as soon as summer started. He's of age now and his uncle left him some money in his will so he just went and found himself an apartment in London. We still see each other of course, almost every day, but it's different you know? I mean, he's lived with us for the past 2 summers and we've been like brothers."

"Oh. Well that I'm afraid will surpass my understanding. My sister, Petunia, moved out last month too and I ended up throwing this big party. But we'd forgotten to ward off the sound and it was apparently so loud that our neighbors called the police to crash the party-that's the muggle law enforcers."

"What kind of law enforcers would waste their time on something like that?" James asked, eyebrows raised.

Lily shrugged. "How should I know? Slow day I guess. And our neighbors are all really stuffy. A lot like Petunia. Anyway, her moving out was a big relief to me. And even better, that pig of a boyfriend of her's will no longer be coming around. Vernon's exactly like her. Just as insipid and dense."

"Not very close, are you?" James asked drily.

"You could say that. We used to be before I came to Hogwarts and then she got jealous and started calling me a freak. And then, sisterly affection soon gave way to solid dislike and we've been at each other's throats ever since. But I always win, of course." Lily said all the last part in a very light tone. "This one time, her boyfriend was over and she was all talking bad about me to him and I ended up turning his teacup into a rat." She smiled in reminiscence. "And then he freaked and ran outa the house and my sister went and chased after him. Ah, good times."

"Lucky you. Your summer sounds a lot better than mine at any rate."

"I guess. How are you and Sasha doing?" Sasha was his girlfriend from from Ravenclaw last year. She wasn't sure why she was asking exactly, she certainly wasn't trying to be nosy. She just really wanted to know.

"We broke up." James replied. After all that had gone on during his summer, the breakup was not quite a priority. That did not mean it was pleasant though.

"What?" Lily asked, surprised. James and Sasha had been so close last year. And yet, she wasn't sure if she was disappointed. "No wonder she looked so depressed when I saw her. Who broke up with who?"

"Dunno. Sort of just fell apart." Lily didn't inquire further, to which James was grateful. They continued patrolling in silence for a while.

"Oh no. Sirius's sitting right there. Hide me!" James yelped and bent down behind Lily, his hand still covering his HB badge. A girl, probably a first year, passing by looked at him strangely, and James glared at her. "What are you looking at?" He snarled.

She didn't respond but quickly moved off. The danger of being seen by Sirius passed and they resumed their conversation.

"Why're you suddenly so scared of seeing him?" Lily asked, confused.

"Don't want to go through another lecture on the shame I've brought to the Marauders. I told him about the badge thing just 10 minutes ago – I mean a guy can only stay so long in the loo before his friends get suspicious. I threatened to turn Padfoot into a bunny if he didn't shut up laughing but Remus joined in and he was all 'well that's not something a good little Head Boy would do.' Traitor."

James let out a hiss of frustration. "It's almost refreshing to see Sirius so happy for a change, if he weren't sharpening his wit on me that is. His brother's just went and joined the Death Eaters. He says he couldn't care less but he's been rather moody lately."

"Regulus Black? But he's only 16 and a prefect!"

"I know." James replied, looking at her darkly. "Hey look, that little kid's having a tantrum on platform. Not too excited for Hogwarts is he? Reckon we should help?"

Lily considered for a moment. "Nah. The parents can take care of it. What house do you think she'll be in?"

Lily and James looked at each other. "Hufflepuff." They said together and smiled.

"Think you got this Head thing down now?" Lily asked.

"Don't remind me. What have I ever done to deserve this treatment?"

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"No wait. Don't answer that. Maybe this is Dumbledore's idea of 6 years worth of punishment. Dunno how I could possibly lift my head once we're in school."

"I think this is actually suppose to be an honor." Lily replied, suppressing a smile.

"An honor? I feel dirty just thinking about it. I can't even imagine giving detentions or taking points. Padfoot's right. I sully the Marauders' name. Believe me. No amount of happiness will ever make up for this. I just hope no one knows about this for as long as possible."

"I hate you, have I ever told you that? When I got the badge, I was all proud and everything. After 10 minutes of your company, I'm disgusted with myself. Lily asked. She was only half joking. James's dejection was contagious.

"Well that makes two of us." James replied at last with a grin. Lily always had the ability to make him feel better. "You have any Polyjuice Potion on you?"

Lily shook her head. "What does it matter? They're going to find out sooner or later. May as well get it over with."

"Yeah, well I prefer later. I don't think anyone will mind if I don't wear this badge, do you? I can't even stand looking at it."

And together, they walked back in misery to give orders to the prefects, both in need of consolation.

* * *

Well, here's the story. Tell me what you think please. Poor, poor James. 


	5. The Flaw in the Plan

For a long time now, I have wanted a story to aquit Sirius at least partially from the blame in the werewolf incident. I mean, he doesn't need attempted murder on his already less than perfect record. He's arrogant, and he's not nice to Kreacher or Snape - do we really want a guy that good looking to be so flawed in character? So here's a little explanation that blames youthful carelessness rather than a mean nature. Besides, if Snape were gone, who'd be there to bully? There is simply an insufficient number of slimy gits in the world.

* * *

The Flaw in the Plan 

_Sirius comes up with a brilliant plan to scare Snape. Only one little flaw. Werewolves have this slight tendency to tear humans from limb to limb. Uh-oh. Too much time spent as an animagus, and you forget what it's like to be human._

It was to be a full moon tonight, but Sirius and James would both be stuck in detention for another one of their ill-timed pranks. Remus would be forced to transform alone, the first time in three months, ever since the other Marauders could become animagi. Peter did not want to spend the night alone with a werewolf, so his friends did not press him. Peter was afraid of getting trampled, seeing as he was so small.

So, after dinner, James and Sirius walked down to McGonagall's office again, rather wistful at the thought of missing what could have been such an adventurous night, but with the comforting thought of many more full moons to come. Besides, if they finished detention early, they might still have a chance of joining Remus and roaming around the Forbidden Forest.

"Dammit, I forgot my invisibility cloak!" James said, suddenly remembering. If they were to join Moony after detention, there was no time to waste, especially since Gryffindor Tower was such a long walk. They had planned to call Peter along with the use of their two-way mirror, enabling them to have the maximum time out on their little adventure. Peter didn't need a cloak seeing he was invisible enough as a rat.

Sirius glanced at his gold watch. "We have plenty of time. Go get it. I'll wait for you here. If not, I'll make some excuse to McGonagall. You know she can't resist me." And he was right. By flashing one of those irresistable smiles, he could get away with practically anything, or at least cut detention time by at least 50.

James grinned. "Sure. See ya then." And with that, James ran off to grab his cloak.

Padfoot however, was not one for waiting. James had only been gone for less than a minute, and already, he was bored. He looked over at a couple unsuspecting Ravenclaws girls, sneaking peaks at him and giggling to each other, and decided to try a new spell on them. One by one, they started turning into ducks, and flying away, quacking in fear and confusion. Hmm, maybe he should have tried something a little less complex – save the best for last. Now no one was available to test on. Pity. He started getting even more restless.

Sirius turned his head slightly, and caught sight of a greasy-haired boy with a hooked nose, prowling around the corridor. Excellent.

Sirius broke into a charming smile and addressed the boy as though they were old chums. "Snivellus! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your common room greasing your hair?" Snape was obviously lurking around trying to get them expelled.

The latter gripped his wand even more tightly than before, but his face flushed scarlet at being caught in the act. Snape sneered, every indication of loathing present on his face. "And you? Can't join your old friend tonight huh, doing whatever you're usually out there doing? Don't think I haven't seen you all sneaking around the Whomping Willow. But I'll find out soon and get you all expelled."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, leaning casually against the stone wall. "Is that a threat? You know, Snivellus. If you want to know where we sneak to every night, all you have to do is ask."

"What is it that you do then?" Snape asked suspiciously, wondering if this was a trick.

"Just prod the giant knot on the Whomping Willow with a stick and you'll see. Of course, you might not want to see, but hey, your choice." Sirius was completely nonchalant the whole time, but inside was heartily congratulating himself on another landslide victory against Snivellus. It was almost too easy. He couldn't wait to see Snape's face the next time, probably sniveling and scared to death – outsmarted again!

Snape eyed him warily. He wanted to go, just to check it out, but the one who suggested it just so happened to be his arch nemesis. Then again, Potter and Black did have detention tonight, so what could they do to him, right?

And to confirm those thoughts, Sirius said, "Me and James have detention. But if you'd rather not know…"

"I'll do whatever I want!" Snape snapped and quickly walked out.

Sirius was so proud of himself that he lasted a whole two more minutes without destroying anything. When James finally came down, Sirius lost no time at all telling his best mate the glorious news.

"Guess what? Snivellus was sneaking around, trying to get us expelled again. I told him all he had to do was push the knot on the Whomping Willow! Bet you tomorrow he's gonna be so scared he won't even come to class."

Contrary to Sirius's expectations, James did not give him a high-five at such a brilliant prank. Instead, he went pale and whispered, "You told him how to get in the Shack?"

Not catching on, Sirius replied, "Yeah. It'll be so funny! He'll probably be sniveling in bed all tomorrow! "

James took his friend by the shoulders and shook him violently. "NO YOU IDIOT! He won't because he'll be dead! Moony's in there, as a werewolf, and he's going to tear Snape apart!" And with that, James sprinted down the corridor, throwing the invisibility cloak over his head, in a gallant attempt to save his worst enemy.

At those last words, Sirius felt as though he'd been plunged into freezing water. He'd never thought of that. Moony would be found out and probably sent Azkaban. Snape would be dead, and his best mate would probably be in the same situation. And it would all be his fault.

Sirius tried to dash off after James at once. Unfortunately, McGonagall just happened to come out of her office, looking for her two students who should have been in detention, but were 10 minutes late.

Her nostrils were flaring angrily. "Mr. Black. Where have you and Potter been? You have de-"

"You don't understand! I just told Snape how to get into the Shrieking Shack and Remus is in there as a werewolf and he's going to tear Snape apart and James just followed him and it's going to be all my fault! I need to go after them!" Sirius shouted so quickly that McGonagall probably couldn't even decipher his words. But she heard "Snape," "Shrieking Shack," and "werewolf," and got the general gist. Immediately, McGonagall went sheet-white.

Without another word, she turned around, and ran towards the Whomping Willow, Sirius trailing not far behind. For someone her age, she was remarkably fast. The moon was bright and full tonight, generously lighting the Hogwarts grounds. It was slightly chilly, though neither McGonagall nor Sirius even noticed. The situation was urgent.

When they got to the tree, Sirius tried to run straight towards the knot but McGonagall held him back. She waved her wand and the tree suddenly froze. "Stay here!" She ordered Sirius before flying down the secret passageway. She didn't need three students dead in one night. Naturally, he didn't listen, but she was too anxious to notice.

They heard someone scream inside the tree. Another voice shouted back. Some furniture crashed down and the echoes bouncing through the passage didn't help much either. This was bad, very bad. The passageway felt so much longer, and the turns so much sharper than usual. Luckily, before McGonagall and Sirius reached the actual Shack, Snape emerged with James panting right behind him. There was a purple bruise on Snape's head and long, but shallow, scratch on James' arm; other than that, not too much. Fortunately, no wolf bites.

"Snape, Potter, you alright?" McGonagall asked, worried, and running over at once. James nodded. "Yeah, we're fine," he replied in between breaths.

Snape's eyes were as wide as saucers. He'd just seen a werewolf transform and almost gotten killed in the process. He was shivering and stuttering incoherently.

"Mr. Snape, let's get you out first, and we'll take you to the Hospital Wing." McGonagall said, attempting to calm him down. "Black! I told you to stay outside!" She told Sirius furiously, finally catching sight of him. Sirius was too relieved to say anything. and they continued down the passage in silence. As they approached the Whomping Willow, McGonagall ordered Sirius to accompany James and Snape to the Hospital Wing and stay there. She needed to call the headmaster.

Sirius's mouth felt too dry to speak, but tried to say something to James nonetheless. He wasn't sure what he said exactly, but James didn't reply.

Madam Promfrey fussed over her two newest patients, despite James' protest that he was fine except for his arm. She mended James's arm in seconds and gave Snape a Calming Draught and he fell asleep. The Hospital Wing was empty except for them; perhaps she'd been lonely for a while.

Dumbledore quickly arrived, with McGonagall in toe, looking graver that Sirius had ever seen him look.

"Both Mr. Snape and Mr. Potter are in good condition?"

The two boys nodded their assent.

Dumbledore turned his head towards James, and said, "Explain please."

And James went through a quick overview of what happened. Apparently, he'd arrived just in time, but Snape had seen Remus transform. Neither of them got bitten, but Remus had just barely scratched his arm, trying to fit through the end of the tunnel. James threw a chair between then with his wand, but Snape got in the way and it bonked him on the head, thus, the purple bruise.

"Will Remus have to leave now?" James asked, scared to know the answer.

"No. This was not his fault. (Sirius squirmed a bit) I will speak to Mr. Snape and ask him not to spread what happened tonight around. There will be not lasting damages." Dumbledore replied with finality. "Mr. Black, I would like to see you in my office please."

"Yes sir." Sirius replied, looking at James, who was looking at Snape.

This was not his first time to enter the headmaster's office, but it was his first to do so alone. And it was his first to be entering with apprehension and guilt rather than pride or glee for a well-planned prank.

Dumbledore didn't speak at first, but looked at Sirius with those deep blue eyes; it felt so much like an x-ray that Sirius turned away.

"Will I be expelled?" His voice sounded strange, even to himself.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "No." He said at last. "But I must impress upon you the seriousness of what you have just done. Had not Mr. Potter rescued Mr. Snape in time, had you even meant him any real harm, you would have been expelled. Mr. Snape could have been killed as a result of your carelessness today, your friend as well. You have also put Mr. Lupin in danger. I must ask you to be more cautious in the future."

Sirius nodded, still examining a silver instrument on the headmaster's table.

"I will speak with Mr. Snape when he wakes up. I would also like you to apologize to him."

Sirius didn't even shrink with repugnance, still in shock of the night's events, and full of relief that he had not been expelled, though he certainly deserved it.

"In the meantime, I will let Professor McGonagall deal with your punishment. It is late. You may return to Gryffindor Tower."

"Thank you sir." Sirius managed to say, before turning to leave.

Upon his return, he saw that James was already there, sitting and gazing at the fire. Peter had already gone to bed. For the first time in his life, Sirius had no idea how to approach his best mate. Warily, he drew near an armchair. He took a deep breath. "Sorry about – tonight."

James didn't look up. This did little to boost Sirius's confidence.

"I was stupid. I didn't think about it at all. Believe me though, I'd never intentionally try to disclose Remus's secret. Or kill Snape."

"Are you expelled?" James asked at last, gazing up at his friend.

"No. Dumbledore told me to arrange with McGonagall tomorrow. Are you sorry that I wasn't?" Sirius asked, afraid.

"'Course not! You're my best mate – remember?" James replied at once, surprised.

At last, Sirius broke into a smile. "Great. I just wasn't sure after- you know, what I did tonight. Remus'll hate me forever though." He said, sobering up. He couldn't blame Remus if he did.

James didn't try to deny it. "I'll see if I can soften him up. He usually can't stay mad for very long. Come to think of it – I've never seen him mad."

Sirius sighed. "Hope you're right. And thanks, Prongs. It's thanks to you I didn't get expelled." He finished up in all sincerity.

"What are friends for?" James asked.

* * *

Tell me what you think please, as always. Or at least wish me a happy Halloween. Think of it as a Halloween treat. 


	6. Peter

So, here's a short little story about Peter when he sees Harry again on the train for the first time in 10 years. There's not many of those, so I thought I'd write one. Let's face it, Peter's pretty pitiful too.

* * *

Peter Pettigrew was curled up quite comfortably as a rat right now. His 11-year-old master Ron Weasely was bound for Hogwarts and thought his pet rat was asleep, but Peter was simply pretending. He was good at that, having done so for the past decade. 

Ron was currently on the Hogwarts Express, and talking to a boy named Harry Potter, whom he had just met. He gawked at Harry's scar, asking about the defeat of the Dark Lord, swallowing this newfound information with awe.

"So that's where You-Know-Who – "

"Yes, but I can't remember it." Harry replied.

"Nothing?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Well – I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else." Harry answered.

Ahh, Peter thought. The Avada Kedavra curse. He peeked out of one of his eyes to see this famous boy. His once close friend's son. This was the boy he had tried to murder 10 years ago, or at least, he had assisted the attempt. Peter almost twitched at the uncanny similarities between Harry and his old friend James. Except for the eyes, he had Lily's eyes. He had to resist a sudden urge to jump on Harry, to beg his forgiveness, but that urge passed away just as quickly. Really, it was partially the boy's fault that he had to spend all these years as a rat, hiding from Lord Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters who thought he'd betrayed them.

He made no pretense to himself about being loyal to the Dark Lord. He was part of them to stay alive - that was all there was to it. He'd been a member of the Marauders for the same reason. The biggest bullies on the playground. Way back then, it was James, Sirius, and Remus. About ten years ago, it was Voldemort. Now, power had swayed back into Albus Dumbledore's hands. Were it possible, Peter might have crossed back, but he was pronounced dead, so it was not. Pity really, he'd liked the old man. Still, he was fairly confident that the Dark Lord would return – that'd been why he'd settled in a nice wizard family – so maybe it wasn't too heavy a loss.

For a moment, Peter had a déjà vu of the past, remembering how he and James and all the rest of the Marauders had met. It was easy to imagine, with almost a carbon copy of James sitting within 2 feet from him. James had been bragging about his famous quiddich skills. Now, Ron was asking Harry about his favorite team, and Harry replied that he didn't know any.

Peter imagined for a moment of how James might have reacted had he known that his own son knew nothing of quiddich. He'd have been horrified to say the least.

Peter'd been so shy back then, and so very happy that James, Sirius, and Remus had accepted him into their inner circle. Perhaps the Sorting Hat chose him too quickly, and wrongly placed him in Gryffindor. Even now, he was surprised to have been invited in.

They'd been so close, what had happened to split them apart? He knew the answer. It was his own selfishness, his own cowardliness that brought the sudden split. He had served the Dark Lord to save his own neck, blamed Sirius, to escape Azkaban and a life of misery, and probably ruined it for Remus as well by taking all his friends away. James's son was an orphan with what sounded from him like a less than kind aunt and uncle. He remembered visiting Harry as a baby, and remarking just how adorable he was. That last visit, he'd seen the little boy zooming around on a new broomstick from Sirius.

Yet, he could not bring himself to regret any of this. He was alive and comfortable, and while he might have enjoyed walking on two legs every now and then, Peter could accept a few limitations on his freedom in exchange for life. He was sorry to have hurt his friends – that part he didn't at all enjoy - but not enough to repent his choice.

Peter didn't look it, but he made a wonderful spy. Not only because he was small, but also because he noticed everything. There were many different friendships that he had both seen and experienced. Most fell apart for some reason or other, like a flower that wilts, but a couple stay just as tight as when they first began. Were he to have stayed loyal to his friends, perhaps they too would have remained. But no, he'd have been dead, so even if the rest of them were able to remain friends, he would not be able to enjoy that treat.

There were some friendsips that start out perfectly well, incredibly close, but end up pulling apart over time. Maybe it's because they soon have a bigger collection of friends, and there's simply less time to spend together. They start worrying about other things - careers, and perhaps there love life, taking the focus off of friends. Then there were others who have a giant argument, and never make up. Perhaps because one misunderstands the other, and the other is too proud to admit any wrong. Maybe some just aren't meant to be. Perhaps the famous Marauders just weren't meant to be.

Some bushy haired girl had entered their compartment. She had a bossy voice, demanding Ron to perform a spell.

"Oh. You're doing magic. Let's see it then."

Ron looked uncomfortable but cleared his throat, and uttered a completely bogus spell trying to turn "Scabbers" yellow. Fred and George had taught him this one. Needless to say, nothing happened, and the bushy haired girl boasted that she'd tried a couple spells on her own, and they'd all worked. She introduced herself as Hermione Granger. She was a muggleborn.

Peter himself had nothing against them. He'd thought Lily was nice and he still did. But if the Dark Lord asked him to kill them, he'd have no problem doing so to stay alive.

It didn't hurt Peter's conscience much, especially after 10 years of getting used to it.

He wondered how Harry would react had he known this rat was an accomplice in his parents' murder. Yes, he was very lucky to have this rat form disguise. James and Sirius had been such wonderfully useful friends to help him become an animagus.

Now Hermione was leaving the compartment, and quickly replaced by a sleek haired blonde with two giant cronies. He introduced himself as Draco Malfoy, his bodyguards as Crabbe and Goyle. Wow, this was indeed a small world. Their fathers had been Death Eaters too!

"You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Malfoy offered.

Harry refused of course. Had it been James, he would probably have hexed them out. Then again, Harry probably didn't know how just yet.

Peter snuck another peak. Crabbe and Goyle were helping themselves to Harry's snacks. Both him and Ron leapt up to fight.

I owe them, Peter thought, and sank his sharp little teeth into Goyle's hands. Goyle howled and spun around, throwing the rat into a window. Yes, being a rat definitely has its advantages. That had barely hurt. He pretended to go back to sleep again, as the three intruders left.

Peter was glad to have seen Harry, and to have helped in that little situation. It hadn't cost him a thing. Too bad it couldn't have been so easy with James and Lily.

* * *

What do you think please? I want to write the next one on Snape and how he suddenly stopped being friends with Lily. 


	7. Legacy

Legacy

James Sirius Potter jauntily followed the headmistress to her office with a small smirk on his face. He had just set foot into Hogwarts less than 2 hours ago and had already become an instant celebrity through a little stunt. Not just a little stunt, but big enough to turn the Great Hall into a wild frenzy, and enough to warrant a trip to Professor McGonagall's office. He wasn't worried about getting expelled or suspended or whatever. He knew they wouldn't throw students out for setting invisible pixies on all the students. Besides, his father had plenty of influence.

He'd planned this for weeks – after all, you can't get Cornish Pixies just anywhere. And he was clever and knew that battling invisible forces were much difficult for teachers to deal with. And so, it had taken 15 minutes to find out exactly what it was that was plunging the Great Hall into such an uproar (especially since the invisible pixies were constantly moving), 15 minutes to freeze and dispose of them, and another 10 to subdue all the students. It was Uncle George who'd suggested making them invisible. He's said he'd seen a lot of potential in James. Besides, Harry Potter's son had a legacy to live up to.

And he was right. James's grandfather who shared his name was a legend among the senior teachers. His middle name was after his father's godfather, James Sr.'s best friend and partner in crime, Sirius Black. His uncles Fred, who'd died during the war, and George were a close runner-up and had created enough havoc to have a small swamp named after them in one of the corridors. These noble pranksters were his inspiration, and James hoped very much to be like them one day. And he would start beginning now.

Meanwhile, McGonagall's nostrils were flaring up as she yelled at James while they walked towards her office. "I cannot believe you. Setting up a pack of pixies in the Great Hall right after the sorting?"

"I waited until everyone was done with dinner." James defended himself. He's been so thoughtful and patient as to wait till everyone was sorted and satiated with food. What more could you ask for?

"Licorice Wands." McGonagall said as the gargoyles sprang apart. "You wait here in my office until I return. Don't move or touch anything." She said narrowing her eyes into catlike slits. She needed to finish the start-of-year-speech.

And so, James walked into the headmistress's office, glancing around curiously at the room. McGonagall's desk was neat and orderly, a pile of papers lay carefully on top. Her quills and inks were held in a cup with the Hogwarts crest imprinted on – the lion, the badger, the snake, and some sort of bird. The portraits on the wall blinked down at him and for once, James was feeling a little self-conscious.

"James Potter is it not?" Said a thoughtful voice on the wall, breaking James from his reverie. "I've been expecting you here." Before James could reply, a snide voice interrupted him.

"Haven't we all? If he's half as arrogant as his father, we'll be seeing a lot more of him around. Well next time, I certainly hope I'm not still here."

"Oh get over it already Severus. It's been what? 80 years since you last fought with James Potter Sr.?" This voice came from an old woman with fat, white curls.

"You've met my grandfather?" James asked confused.

"Met him ha! James and Sirius visited us here almost every other day. I would never have allowed students like that in my day, but, I almost missed them once they left."

Most of the other former heads murmured in agreement while greasy haired headmaster with the snide voice gave an incredulous snort.

"You know, you have a lot to live up to. Your grandfather got in trouble without even setting foot off the train."

"What for?" James asked eagerly.

"For dumping some nasty stuff on Severus here. He's still somewhat bitter. The stuff ended up melting half the train."

The last part was missed because the former was such a shock. "What? My brother's named after him! His middle name anyway."

Severus Snape turned red with fury and gave an indignant sputter. "Wh-Wh-What? How could that git- He had no right-" And with that, the former greasy headmaster angrily left his portrait, jamming is finger and letting out a string of curses in his haste.

"What was that about?" James blinked at the empty portrait.

A man with a long white beard and square spectacles was the one to reply. Underneath the portrait was a small plaque with the name "Albus Dumbledore." James was familiar with him. His father had a small portrait of him in his study. "Severus and your grandfather did not get along too well. I never told him your father named his second son him. A rather unpleasant surprise I'm afraid. If he ever finds out Al looks exactly like his old foe, well, you wouldn't want to be around. So how's your father doing? It's been a while since I've visited that portrait."

"The usual. Some Auror stuff I guess. We got a new cat last month. It would't stop scratching our furniture and Mum's getting mad. She's tried every spell and nothing works."

"So let me guess, you brought your cat to Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked, amused.

"Yeah. It wouldn't stop clawing everyone on the train so we shut it up."

This important conversation was again interrupted as Severus came back, thoroughly annoyed. None of the other paintings would let him in. He was not overly popular, even after some 15 years since his death.

"Severus! You're back to join us!" Dumbledore exclaimed, very pleased.

Another wizard gave a hmph. The plaque underneath said "Phineas Nigellus Black." "Well obviously, no one wanted him. These oil paintings are finished - we don't need any more from his hair."

The funny thing was, Professor Black used to like Snape as headmaster, because it evened out the imbalance between houses. But their personalities were too much alike, so catfights between them were not uncommon.

Luckily, some former headmistress stepped in. She had a big stick for a wand so neither tried to push her.

"Hey-you look familiar for some reason." James suddenly noticed.

"This may be a little too much for your puny little brain to process, but yes, your father's godfather happened, unfortunately, to be my great great grandson. And he had to go and get himself killed so we now no longer have an heir to the noble and most ancient House of Black." Phineas was still very angry at the lack of an heir. "The house of my forefathers now goes to your Harry Potter, and he doesn't even want it."

"Shut up Phineas. Go mope somewhere else." Another wizard put in.

Severus flashed James another look of loathing. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I dumped some invisible pixies in there and everyone's gone berserk." James bragged. "Professor McGonagall's cleaning up the mess in the Great Hall. Then she'll "deal with me."

"Well, if she knows what's good for her, she'll kick you out. But no doubt you'll be just like Potter and worm your way out of punishment somehow." Snape replied.

But the other teachers were congratulating him. "Amazing! Invisible pixies. You might actually give your grandfather and his friends a run for their money."

Then, McGonagall returned, but James could have sworn he'd seen a shadow of a smile.

Please review, as always.

* * *


	8. Bargaining

"Oy! Evans!" An all too familiar voice drawled out from behind. Lily turned around to see Sirius Black quickly striding up to her with a jingling bag in his hands. She eyed it suspiciously – she had seen more than her fair share of his little tricks over the past 6 years and knew it could not be a good sign.

"What do you want, Black?" She replied warily. To her surprise, James and his little band of miscreants were not with him at the moment.

"Nice to see you too Lily. Now, I know you have your little school meeting in a couple minutes so I'll make it quick. How would you like to go on a date?" He appeared elegant but relaxed, casually leaning against the wall, tilting his head to observe her response.

Lily's jaw dropped as she jumped back, utterly outraged. "NO! I will not go out with you, Black!" She felt this sudden urge to hex him, which she reined in with admirable restraint. Other boys had asked her out before of course but she had never felt so repulsed, not even by the guy who looked part-troll. In fact, not even James Potter with his overstuffed head had ever disgusted her to this point.

Because the real reason that Lily, a true Gryffindor at heart, felt so unbelievably angry was due to the fact that Black, a fellow housemate even, would sink so low as to go behind his best friend James Potter's back. Her Gryffindor values of loyalty and courage condemned nothing more thoroughly than what Sirius appeared to be doing right now. Her opinion of him, never very high to begin with, sank into the deep end of the negatives infinites.

Sure Potter had stopped chasing after her by now, to Lily's great relief, and had even grown up a little, to her even greater incredulity, but for his best friend to ask her out? How could he? Not only was Black betraying his friend, but he was also betraying his entire Gryffindor house!

Of course, the other possibility was that Potter had – well – gotten over her and given Black his blessing. This she had to admit was the likelier of the two. After all, he had stopped vacantly staring at her and asking her out for the past few months. And Black's loyalty to his friends had been the only virtue he had ever displayed in the past six and a half years. But this was only a little more comforting than the former. How could Potter have gotten over her so quickly?

Lily was annoyed now. Why did she care? Hadn't she seen him date a couple other girls the past few months without a backward glance? No, she wasn't in love with him, at least not yet anyway. But her ego was bruised, that she had to admit to herself. Was her head starting to swell to Potter's size?

But Sirius's face looked just as revolted by the prospect of going out with her. "Ugh – why would I go out with you?" Sirius replied, his perfectly carved face contorting in disgust, and his body shuddered at the thought.

Yes, this proved it. Lily's head needed some major deflating. Here she was, actually feeling slightly hurt at Sirius's tone, though truth to be told, it was more than a little insensitive. It also left Lily feeling rather confused.

Sirius continued, "I was asking if you'd go out with James!"

This left Lily feeling just plain stupid. Then, back to angry. "No, I will not go out with James either! I don't want to have anything to do with your crowd so forget it," she hissed.

About to walk away, she heard Sirius say, "What if I give you 5 galleons?"

"You think I can be bought?" Lily almost shouted – but not quite because she was in a hallway and voices echo and she preferred leading a good example as Head Girl.

"Ok, fine. I'll raise to 15. Just one date- 15 galleons! Think of the stuff you can buy!" Sirius replied.

Lily continued walking away.

"Fine, 25 then. 25 galleons."

Here, Lily stopped. That was a lot of money and she did need to buy some new books. Slowly, she turned around. "45." Apparently, Lily Evans _could_ be bought.

Sirius tilted his dog to the side, like a dog considering a bone, and said, "30."

"This is your best mate here Black. I think you can afford at least 45 galleons." She was turning into a rather shrewd bargainer. "Besides, I'm going to be the one paying for lunch since I'm the one asking him. And the humiliation and gossip I'm going to have to face afterwards!"

"But I'm poor!" Sirius replied, trying out the pity card. "I've been disowned, cut off, I have nothing!"

Fine. If he wanted to play it that way, so could Lily. "But I'm muggle-born! The way the ministry's been going, I'm last in line. I'll end up unemployed, or a dishwasher in the Leaky Cauldron while you're out there making big money." She would have added something about Death Eaters but decided not to. After all, there had been rumors that his brother was a member. It probably wouldn't help her cause.

"My parents said they'd use every bit of their influence to prevent me from advancing in whatever field I choose. I'll be in line after you! I need that money!" Sirius said, trying to arouse pity in Lily's generous heart. He had never spoken of this before.

"Well you've got good marks!" Lily said. "And the Potter's will help you and they're really influential."

"You're Head Girl _and_ have good marks! And allthe teachers like you. And Slughorn's got all this influence too."

"Well maybe he would have helped you too if you and James hadn't poured that balding potion on his head!"

"Oh yeah, that was funny." Sirius said, reminiscing of the good times.

Lily glanced at her watch. "Merlin! I'm going to be late! Just give me 30 then."

"No, 25." Sirius got her now.

Lily sighed. She was out of time. "Ok. Fine." They shook. "And you're not to mention me or the money. And don't talk about his heading being blown up." He said dumping coins into her hand.

"Sure, sure. I'll ask him right after the meeting." She waved her wand testing the gold to see if it was real. It was.

And with that, Lily ran off to the Heads meeting, and upon seeing Potter, even smiled. She just received 25 galleons for a date with James Potter.


	9. Slytherin vs Gryffindor

Quidditch

"Hey Sirius," James said to his best friend as he came back from quidditch practice one night. "Have to know something real quick. Your brother, is he any good at flying? He's Slytherin's new Seeker. How is he?"

James did not usually ask Sirius about his family - it was rather a sensitive subject, even between best mates. But a quidditch match was a special circumstance and James had to know the quality of his competition.

Sirius looked up, incredulous. "Regulus? On the quidditch team? You're kidding right?"

"No, I'm not. Gregory just told us he's new to the team." James replied, confused. Gregory was Gryffindor's team captain.

"Seriously? Last time I saw him play, he was 10 and afraid to death of heights. Dunno what possessed him to try out for the team. Or how he managed to get on." Sirius said, shaking his head.

"Well, we'll find out next Sunday I s'ppose. We've got to flatten those stupid Slytherins in the match - not that I have anything against your brother." James amended, looking at Sirius quickly.

"You might not have anything 'gainst him, but I do." Sirius muttered, scowling.

James didn't reply - he got the idea - and correctly too - that there was an unspoken rule between them. Sirius could complain as much as he wanted about his brother to his friends, but they were not to do the same.

* * *

Sunday came quickly enough and the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin began. It was widely expected for Gryffindor to win - James Potter was undoubtedly the best Chaser Hogwarts had seen in years, and Gryffindor had won the championship for the past 3 years. Slytherin on the other hand had an uncommonly lousy team the past year, and this one was unlikely to be much better. Regulus Black was the only change.

It was an extraordinarily beautiful day - the sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the temperature was absolutely perfect. With no surprise to anyone, James Potter scored the first goal into one of the three hoops (the Slytherin Keeper really had no hope of blocking). Within another ten minutes, the score was 80-0, Gryffindor leading. Slytherin seemed to have all but given up.

With James Potter ostentatiously scoring so many points, and with Slytherin so far behind, spectators could not but fail to notice a much quieter player dressed in green robes circling the stadium looking for the Snitch. But as the crowd cheered as James Potter was about to score the 130th point, the Slytherin Seeker made a sudden dive.

The crowd gasped and even the commentator was at a loss for words. Regulus Black, the Slytherin second-year known as "Sirius Black's little brother" had caught the Snitch, ending the game, and winning the match for Slytherin by a margin of 20 points.

The Gryffindors' stand was suddenly silent with shock, but the Slytherins roared with delight at their unexpected victory.

Sirius Black did not know what to think, but as he saw James land, too upset even to hex someone, he motioned to Remus and Peter to follow him onto the field.

They somehow lost each other in the pandemonium, but approaching the quidditch field, he saw Regulus walking out, somehow managing to get away from the cheering Slytherins.

"Hey." Sirius nodded to his brother.

Regulus looked up in surprise, not having seen Sirius come his way. "Hey." He replied guardedly.

"Congratulations." Sirius said after a moment. "You flew well. I was watching."

Regulus waited before replying. "Thanks." He said.

The Slytherin team soon rushed over and lifted Regulus on their shoulders. A few gave a sneer when they saw Sirius ("How does it feel to be bested by your brother, Black?") but Sirius did not hear. He stared at Regulus a second longer, and then walked away towards James and his own House's team.

The whole team was gathered. Some were shaking their heads, others attempting to console the Gryffindor Seeker who had his head in his hands. Remus and Peter were already gathered.

When Gregory, the team captain, saw Sirius approach a nasty expression came over his face. "What do you want, Black?" He asked viciously. Sirius looked too much like his brother.

"Lay off him, will you?" James Potter cut in, glaring at Gregory. James did not let people insult his friends, and in any other circumstance, would have hexed him.

Gregory looked slightly uncomfortable. "Sorry." He muttered quickly before turning away.

James then looked up at Sirius. "You never said he was that good!" He whispered in shock.

"I never knew." Said Sirius, as he gazed back at the Slytherins.

* * *

It was 1 in the morning and Regulus finally managed to get away from the celebrations in the Common Room. He lied down on his bed and breathed deeply for a moment, reflecting on what had happened.

Sirius had congratulated him. That had meant a lot - more than Sirius would ever know. It was true he had treated his brother badly at home, playing on the fact that he was the favorite, getting Sirius in trouble if it would benefit himself, etc. But underneath it all, he still cared for his brother, and wanted to know if Sirius still cared for him.

He knew no one else had watched him fly - they were all too busy with James Potter. Even his cheering house-mates had not bothered to watch him. But Sirius had. That had to mean something, didn't it?

Why had he joined quidditch in the first place? He was no natural, his talent was not innate like Potter's. He had to work to obtain the ease with which he now flew, to master his fear of heights. He had wanted to be something that Sirius wasn't.

He was so used to being second. He was talented, Sirius more so. He was good-looking, Sirius even better. He was popular, but could not expect to compete with Sirius and his friends. He needed something of his own.

And so he had secretly practiced all summer, ridding himself of his fears. And he had done it. Regulus Black had won.


	10. Animagi

Ok, so I thought it'd be interesting to write a story about how they decided to help Remus. Here it is.

* * *

"Remus!" James called as he, Sirius, and Peter came running into the library.

Remus Lupin looked up from his Transfiguration essay and smiled. He still felt a warmth pulse through him every time he remembered his friends had not abandoned him after discovering that Remus was a werewolf.

"Yeah?" Remus replied.

"You know your furry little problem, right?" James began eagerly.

"My _what?_" Remus asked looking back at his friends.

"Your furry little problem." James answered, nodding. "You know, the one with the claws and teeth that comes out and starts ripping things apart once a month?"

Remus looked at James and blinked, not knowing whether to laugh or not. After a moment, he said, "Uh-huh. So what about my - furry little problem?"

Sirius spoke up. "Well, we've been trying to find some way to help you, remember?"

Remus nodded warily. They had been dishing out ideas for the past week, ever since they'd found out about his condition. Those ideas had included keeping him company, discovering a new cure (they somehow got the notion into their heads that a couple of second years could do what the Healers at St. Mungo's had been attempting for decades), buying him a chew toy, and taming him. Remus had shot all those ideas down on the spot.

"What's your plan this time?" Remus asked, eyebrows raised.

"We've got a few ideas listed here." Sirius said, pulling out a piece of paper. "Don't worry. They're better than the last ones. We've done some research."

"Really?" Remus replied slowly, almost disbelievingly.

"Yeah." James piped up. "They're pretty good, I think. We decided we should let you choose which one you prefer."

_Oh no_. Remus thought, inwardly shaking his head.

"All right." Remus said with a sigh. "Let's see what you've got then."

He took the paper from Sirius and started reading. Number one on the list was_ Become Animagi._

"WHAT?" Remus yelled, horrified as he looked back up at his friends.

"That was my idea." James replied proudly. "See, we were doing research, and we found out that a werewolf's bite is only dangerous to humans. So I was thinking, if we transformed into animals or something, we could join you in the Shrieking Shack. Why are you looking at me like that? It's a good idea!"

"Do you realize how complicated that is? And what could happen if it goes wrong? Not to mention that it's illegal! They might even throw you in Azkaban for that!" Remus hissed. The librarian was giving a look telling them all to shut up.

"We'll be careful and make sure nothing goes wrong in the process. Although the down side is that it might take a while - years even. Do you mind transforming by yourself while we work on it?" James replied, frowning.

Remus glared at James. "It's not about me! It's about what might happen to you three! Even if you manage it, what happens if someone finds out?"

"Yeah, well, if we're discovered, it's a minimum of 2 years in Azkaban." James replied offhandedly. "But we'll be fine. We want to help you."

"Yeah. Don't worry 'bout us." Sirius put in. "Besides. What's the fun without a bit of risk?"

"You guys don't know how dangerous it is! This isn't just a little school prank! Becoming animagi and running around with a werewolf once a month isn't a joke!" Remus said angrily.

"We know the risk, Remus." James said, suddenly seriously. "We've researched what could happen if it goes wrong or if we're discovered_. _What do you think we've been doing in the library all week?"

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, unsure whether he was supposed to laugh or cry. He decided to look at the second option: _Get Remus to bite us._

"I AM NOT GOING TO BITE YOU!" Remus shouted suddenly.

The librarian approached their table angrily. "You are disrupting students trying to learn. LEAVE. NOW!"

"Sorry." Said Remus. "We'll go now."

They entered a secret passageway and proceeded with their conversation.

"I AM NOT TURNING YOU LOT INTO WEREWOLVES!" Remus shouted once they were all alone.

"See, I told you." Peter whispered to Sirius.

Sirius tried to argue. "Why not? That way, we can all transform together and you won't have to be alone!"

"Do you have any idea how painful it is, Sirius? Not to mention that you'll be an outcast all your life because no one wants to be around someone like me?" Said Remus, furious.

"That's why we want to help you!" Sirius replied.

James nodded earnestly and added his opinion in. "I think we could do it. This way you won't have to wait years for us to join you as animals. Then again, I really don't know how I'm going to tell my parents that I've suddenly turned into a werewolf when I go back for Christmas." He said as an afterthought.

"NO!" Remus yelled. He took a deep breath. "Let's just - look at the next option, alright?"

Glancing down at number 3, Remus closed his eyes, counted to ten, and opened them.

"_Turn into vampires_." Remus repeated weakly.

"Yeah." Said Sirius. "That was my idea too. Me and James were just saying that if the Animagi plan doesn't work out, and if you don't bite us, we'll just find a vampire and have him do it. And vampires are full-time - werewolves are just at full moon. Cool right?"

Remus was silent for a moment. "A couple things. First, where are you going to find a vampire?"

James and Sirius looked at each other.

"Albania or Transylvania I guess." James replied. "Isn't that where all the vampires hang out?"

"Ah." Remus replied. "And how exactly are you getting there?"

"Floo powder." Sirius answered quickly.

"Uh, ok. Secondly, how is that going to help me?" Asked Remus, leaning his head against the walls.

"Well, we're not sure." James replied uncomfortably. "It's never been tried before."

"But we thought if you have fangs and we have fangs, it'd kind of balance out. Or if not, we'd just turn into bats and then we'd be ok too." Sirius said assuredly.

"Oh." Said Remus. "Ok then."

"What's the third thing?" James asked.

"NO!" Shouted Remus.

"Alright, fine." Sirius said, taken aback.

Peter spoke again. "That's all we have on the list though. There's not much that can be done with werewolves." He said glumly.

James sighed. "Yeah, Peter's right. You've got to choose something on the list Remus."

"How about none of them?" Remus suggested.

"Or, how about you choose one, or we'll choose for you?" James replied smirking at Sirius.

_Oh dear._ Remus thought. His friends were serious. He shut his eyes really tight and paused for a moment. "Animagi sounds good." He said at last, voice strained. That sounded like it would cause the least harm, anyway.

"Sure?" Sirius asked. "It might take ages though."

"I'm _sure._" Remus confirmed. "You guys take as long as you want. In fact, the longer the better." Becoming Animagi would take ages, and if Remus was lucky, they'd give up on the scheme once they realized it.

"Ok then." James said cheerfully. "We'll get started right away. Already got all the books in our dormitory."

Remus frowned. The books were in the Restricted Section. "How did you - never mind. I think I'd rather not know."

"Ah, that's the spirit, Remus." Sirius said with a grin. He turned to James. "Hey, let's hurry upstairs so we can get something done by dinner. Race ya?"

As James and Sirus raced up the stairs, Peter trailing along behind them, Remus smiled. He knew he could not have found better friends if he looked all over the world.

* * *

Liked it? Review please!


	11. Get James Jealous

Marlene managed to keep Lily quiet until she brought her back to their dormitory. As soon as they got there, Lily began shouting.

"How could he? What was he thinking, agreeing to go out with that Lana? How could he possibly have forgetten that I'm the one he's been chasing after these past two years?"

"Well, you always did refuse him, remember? And he _did_ finally stop asking you out towards the end of last year." Marlene replied reasonably. "Although I'm sure he was out of his mind when he said yes." She amended upon seeing Lily's glare.

"You know what?" Lily said quickly. "I'm going to make sure he regrets this."

"How are you going to do that?" Marlene asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Hex them?" Lily suggested tentatively.

"You're Head Girl, Lily. You can't do that." Marlene replied, exasperated.

"Board up the Three Broomsticks?"

"They'll just go somewhere else, Lily."

Lily stopped to think. "I'm going to make him jealous." She said determinedly.

"Hmm." Marlene said after a moment, nodding. "That could work."

"Who do you think will annoy James the most?" Lily asked with a frown. "NOT You-Know-Who!" She said, eyes flashing.

"Of course not." Marlene replied quickly. Severus Snape was an unmentionable when speaking to Lily.

Marlene thought about it, but unfortunately, very few people hated James. Even when he was an arrogant git who made a habit of hexing people who annoyed him, James had been very popular.

"I'm guessing you'd rather not date Avery and the rest of his crowd." Marlene said, glancing at her friend.

"Definitely not."

"Huh, that could be difficult."

They stayed silent for a few seconds.

"How about someone who can compete with James?" Marlene finally suggested. "Smart, popular, good-looking."

"Who do we know can compete with James?" Lily wailed as she slumped on her bed.

"Sirius Black," Marlene responded automatically as she patted her friend on the head. "He doesn't play quidditch, but he's much more handsome and just as smart and popular." Like most of the female population at Hogwarts, Marlene had a crush on Sirius. Not a deep crush but she wouldn't mind a snogging session with him just once to see if he really was that great of a kisser. "I know he's James's best friend and all, but if James really _is_ over you, Sirius might agree to go on a date."

Lily looked up alarmed. She really didn't like the idea of James getting over her so completely that he would give his best friend his blessing. "I think I'd rather not find out." Said Lily. "Anyone else?"

"I think you'll have to go down a tier." Marlene said thoughtfully. "There's Quinn Corner, the Ravenclaw quidditch captain. I think he's better-looking than James, but on all other areas, Corner definitely can't compete. Anyways, he's single."

Lily considered this for a moment. Quinn was - nice. Very nice in fact. But Marlene was right. He was nothing compared to James! He wasn't as clever, he wasn't funny, he just wasn't James! Would he make James jealous though?

"Alright." She said heavily. "Corner it is then."

And thus, Lily set out on her quest to make James jealous.

* * *

Poor Lily. Why did James have to fall in love with her when he was a prat and fall out of love with her when he stopped being a prat?


End file.
